How to Change the Theme in Paint.NET

Paint.NET allows users to easily customize the application's appearance by switching between a dark theme, a light theme, or matching the default Windows system settings. This guide provides a quick, step-by-step walkthrough on how to access the internal settings in Paint.NET and change the user interface color scheme to suit your personal workspace preferences.

Steps to Switch Between Light and Dark Mode

  1. Launch Paint.NET on your computer.
  2. Click the Gear icon located in the top-right corner of the window (next to the minimize, maximize, and close buttons) to open the Settings menu.
  3. In the Settings window that appears, select the UI tab from the left-hand sidebar.
  4. Locate the Color scheme dropdown menu.
  5. Click the dropdown and select your preferred appearance:
    • Light: Forces the classic bright user interface.
    • Dark: Enables the high-contrast dark user interface.
    • Use Windows setting: Automatically aligns the Paint.NET theme with your current Windows operating system theme (switching automatically when your system switches).
  6. Click the Close button at the bottom of the Settings dialog. The interface updates instantly without requiring a program restart.

Note on Software Versions

The built-in dark theme feature is available in Paint.NET version 4.2.16 and newer, with improved visual polish in version 5.0 and later. If you do not see the "Color scheme" setting, update Paint.NET to the latest version by navigating to the Updates tab in the Settings window and clicking Check Now.